NEW DELHI: After a delay of nearly three years, the State Election Commission has finally announced dates for Maharashtra’s long-pending civic body elections, which have been overdue since 2022. Polling will be held on January 15 for 29 municipal corporations, 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis, with results scheduled for January 16.The elections to key urban bodies such as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Pune and Thane are being seen as more than routine local contests, widely viewed as the political mood test for the state.The BMC election is expected to witness the fiercest contest, pitting the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance against a fractured opposition.Why BMC control mattersThe BMC’s estimated budget for 2025–26 stands at Rs 74,427 crore, with projected expenditure of Rs 43,162 crore, accounting for nearly 58 per cent of allocations towards development works.This massive financial clout is unmatched by any other municipal body in the country, cementing the BMC’s status as Asia’s wealthiest civic corporation and making control of Mumbai’s local government a prize of enormous political and economic significance. Mahayuti buries hatchet for MumbaiThe BJP-led Mahayuti alliance is seeking to present a united front after months of internal friction. The BJP, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar’s NCP have agreed to contest the BMC polls together, setting up coordination committees to resolve seat-sharing disputes.Relations between BJP and Sena had been strained, particularly over allegations of poaching party workers in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The Sena had accused BJP’s state leadership of engineering defections.For BJP, BMC remains unfinished business. After narrowly missing out on control in 2017, the party believes its expanded footprint in Maharashtra and favourable alliance arithmetic could finally deliver Mumbai’s civic body.In 2017, the BJP contested all 227 seats independently and won 82, just two fewer than the undivided Shiv Sena. This time, it will contest fewer seats to accommodate its allies. The Shiv Sena has sought 90–100 seats, BJP state election in-charge Chandrashekhar Bawankule has said.BJP and NCP, however, will not contest together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. “Ajit Pawar and we cannot contest the elections together in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad. Both of us understand politics well enough to know that if we contest together, it benefits a third party, and we do not want to allow that to happen. We will contest against each other, but it will be a friendly fight,” CM Devendra Fadnavis said. Thackeray cousins close ranksOne of the most striking political developments ahead of the polls is the growing proximity between Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS leader Raj Thackeray. Once bitter rivals, the cousins now appear aligned in their belief that losing Mumbai would deal a severe blow to the Thackeray political legacy.For Uddhav Thackeray, the BMC represents perhaps his last major opportunity to reclaim political relevance after the 2022 split in the Shiv Sena. For Raj Thackeray, the election is being pitched as a battle to protect Marathi identity, with the MNS projecting itself as the custodian of Mumbai’s linguistic and cultural character.Congress’ solo act threatThe opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), however, appears under strain. The Congress has made it clear it will contest alone if the MNS is included in the alliance, citing concerns over alienating its core support base among minorities, Dalits and north Indian voters in Mumbai.While a solo Congress strategy risks fragmenting the anti-BJP vote, data from the 2024 assembly elections suggests that without MNS support, the opposition may struggle to cross the majority mark of 114 seats in the 227-member BMC, potentially giving the Mahayuti a structural edge.According to reports, Congress leaders have held discussions with Sharad Pawar and leaders of the NCP (SP) on a possible alliance. Pawar has reportedly indicated his preference for keeping the opposition coalition intact and contesting the elections together, including the Raj Thackeray-led MNS. Go to Source
